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Radioactive Man
Radioactive Man is a fictional character, the protagonist of Radioactive Man comics which exist within the world of The Simpsons. History The character debuted on The Simpsons in the episode Bart the Genius (in comic book form) as Bart Simpson and Milhouse Van Houten's favorite superhero. The episode Three Men and a Comic Book expands on Radioactive Man's history within The Simpsons and involves Bart, Milhouse, and Martin Prince fighting over a copy of Radioactive Man #1. Not long after Simpsons creator Matt Groening founded Bongo Comics alongside Steve Vance, Cindy Vance, and Bill Morrison, the company started printing Radioactive Man comics, which expand on Radioactive Man's fictional history while at the same time spoofing real-life comics history. The character usually comments on superheroes in general; for instance, his real name—Claude Kane III—has the same initials as Clark Kent and rhymes with Bruce Wayne. Most often, Radioactive Man—a fervent anti-communist—spoofs the political right. Fictional Biography Within The Simpsons The character first appeared in Boffo Comics' Interesting Stories #27, where he and his sidekick Fallout Boy fight the Communist Block.Moms I'd Like to Forget Longtime Radioactive Man writer Morty Mann, for his part, contends that the character debuted in Boffo Mystery Stories #15.Radioactive Man: Radioactive Repository, Volume One Either way, Mann created the character by retooling a decade-old hero named Radio Man. In November of 1952, Radioactive Man got a comic series of his own,Radioactive Man #1 penned by Mann, which has run more-or-less continually to the present day. The comics themselves became known for Radioactive Man's catchphrase: "Up and atom!" This eventually inspired a knock-off character, Radiation Dude, who says, "Up and let's go!" Radioactive Man had another, less famous catchphrase: "Jumpin' jeepers!" At one point Alan Moore (within the show) wrote several issues of the comic, where he retooled the Irradiated Crusader as "a heroin-addicted jazz critic who's not radioactive."Husbands and Knives Other Media Not long after his debut, the character got hit the airwaves in a 1950s TV series and some film serials, sponsored by Laramie Cigarettes. Dirk Richter (a spoof of superhero actors George Reeves and Adam West) played the Irradiated Crusader and Buddy Hodges played Fallout Boy. The series enjoyed massive popularity, at one point even having a crossover episode with I Love Lucy. The character returned in a decidedly campier television series in the 1970s (obviously based on the 1966 Batman TV series), where he and Fallout Boy would battle villains such as the Scoutmaster.Radioactive Man Later that decade, Radioactive Man would star in three movies: "Radioactive Man"; "Radioactive Man II: Bring on the Sequel"; "Radioactive Man III: Oh God Not Again." Each starred Troy McClure in the title role. The third film also starred Krusty the Clown as Krusto the Evil Clown and featured a cameo by Buddy Hodges as Fallout Boy's great-grandfather.Radioactive Man #412 In the early 90s, Radioactive Man would get his first animated series (based on Batman: The Animated Series), with Paul Dini (fictionally) serving as writer and story editor. He also created Dr. Crab's minion Hallie Claw for the series. In 1995, filming started on another Radioactive Man movie, this time with Rainier Wolfcastle in the lead role, Milhouse van Houten as Fallout Boy, and Krusty the Clown playing two villains: Dr. Clownius and Silly Sailor. Budget overruns, on-set accidents, and Milhouse's inability to cope with the pressure of the role finally drove the filmmakers to shelve the project. Most recently, Radioactive Man appeared in a Broadway musical: Radioactive Man, Hose Down the Burn. The musical spoofs Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and shares that musical's tendency toward injurious accidents. Comics Biography The son of Dr. Claude Kane II, a millionaire nuclear physicist, Claude Kane grew up in Zenith City. As a child, he lost his mother—an aviatrix—who disappeared in an around-the-world flight. Kane himself grew up to become a frivolous playboy and socialite. Five years after graduating from school, he overhears some communists conspiring to kill his father. In pursuing the would-be killers, he takes a wrong turn and ends up in a nuclear test site. A bomb detonates that gives him superpowers, but at a price: a lightning-bolt piece of shrapnel lands in his head which he can't remove. From that point forward, Claude wears a fedora to conceal the lightning bolt and vows to fight crime (especially that associated with communism) in Zenith City as Radioactive Man. As a running gag, the origin story gets retold, redrawn, and retconned numerous times in different comics. In Radioactive Man #400, Radioactive Man learns that his nemesis Dr. Crab somehow manipulated events so that he'd end up caught in the explosion. Although very powerful, Radioactive Man's struggles often stem from his naïveté, ineptitude, and simplistic view of justice. As Claude Kane, he constantly vies for the affections of Gloria Grand, a journalist who openly hates his civilian identity (although Kane never realizes this) but has fallen in love with Radioactive Man (much like Lois Lane or Carol Ferris). As Radioactive Man, he lives in a remote base he calls the Containment Dome (similar to the arctic Fortress of Solitude employed by Superman or Doc Savage). He later adops Rod Runtledge (Fallout Boy) and raises him in the Containment Dome. Dark Radioactive Man At one point, Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy went to rescue their colleagues in the Superior Squad from his nemesis Dr. Crab. Although the heroes succeeded, Radioactive Man accidentally shot himself with Dr. Crab's accelerated particle blaster. He apparently died from the blast. Before burying his mentor, Fallout Boy removed the shrapnel embedded in Radioactive Man's head. This "restarted" Radioactive Man's internal nuclear reaction, bringing him back to life as Dark Radioactive Man (a parody of Dark Phoenix). As Dark Radioactive Man, Claude had considerably more power, but at the cost of his safety and sanity. He essentially became a walking 100-megaton nuclear bomb. He nearly exploded, killing all of Zenith, but Fallout Boy reinserted his lightning bolt shrapnel in the nick of time, turning Radioactive Man back to his normal, living self. Radioactive Man has since come to realize that he can never remove the shrapnel from his head without risking his own safety and that of millions around him. He nevertheless continually asks Bug Boy for assistance in coming up with new attempts. In Radioactive Man #812, the two of them tried cutting the bolt to make it flush with his skull, but even with only the truncated bolt, Radioactive Man still ran the risk of losing control and immolating all of Zenith.Radioactive Man #1000 Powers Radioactive Man's capabilities have remained nebulous and mutable throughout the comics' run. Among other powers, he can fly up to 115 miles per hour and lift up to 5000 pounds. He also has superhuman invulnerability; even tank shells bounce right off him. He still feels a sting from bullets and ammunition, though.Skybox Series II trading cards He attributes his powers to "pure, clean energy." Notes Category:Heroes Category:Superior Squad members